Ministry Clarifies Misinformation on 60,000 Prospective Students Withdrawing
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) has clarified the conflicting information circulating in the public regarding 60,000 prospective new students who were reported to have withdrawn or failed to re-register for this year’s selection process.
The Director of Learning and Students (Belmawa) at Kemendiktisaintek, Beny Bandanadjaja, emphasised that the narrative of 60,000 students withdrawing in 2026 is incorrect, given that the independent track admission process for this year is still ongoing until the deadline on 31 July 2026.
He highlighted that the widely discussed figure of 60,000 actually refers to data from the 2025 evaluation presented by the National Student Admissions Selection Committee during a Hearing (RDP) with the House of Representatives (DPR RI).
Beny detailed that out of a total national capacity of 627,000 seats in 2025, 585,000 individuals were successfully admitted through the selection process. The difference of approximately 40,000 empty seats was purely due to unfilled capacity because participants did not meet the minimum quality standards, rather than due to withdrawals.
“From those 585,000, it is true that some did not re-register. Based on 2025 data, this amounted to around 17,000, or approximately 2.8 per cent of those accepted,” said Beny.
Based on investigations by the selection committee, Beny revealed three main reasons why those thousands of prospective students ultimately chose not to proceed with re-registration.
The first reason is a mismatch in study programmes. Participants in the test-based selection track are permitted to choose up to five programmes, and they often withdraw because they are accepted into their second, third, or subsequent choices, which are not their primary priorities.
The second reason, Beny continued, is that many participants also participate in selection processes for government-affiliated colleges under other ministries. The appeal of official service bonds and guaranteed employment upon graduation leads many prospective students to relinquish their seats at State Universities (PTN).
The third reason relates to financial constraints, where a number of applicants for the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) Kuliah programme were found to be ineligible. Consequently, they were forced to withdraw while seeking alternative financing or scholarships from other sources.
“Therefore, they may ultimately be unable to continue and do not re-register due to financing issues, as those applying for KIP Kuliah typically face financial shortages. When they are found ineligible, they naturally cannot proceed,” Beny explained.